My name is Chemex and this is how to brew the best coffee
You can call me anything you want, but not a coffee geek. I enjoy my coffee with lots of milk, sugar, and flavors, therefore I am not the person to ask when it comes about brewing, origins or techniques in this regard. So imagine my surprise when last week I’ve been invited to a coffee event, held by Better with Brita campaign. This would’ve been something my husband would’ve loved, since he is a coffeeholic, but I got to experience it for him, and let me tell you, it was enlightening. Plus, I got to teach him something new about coffee, which is not ordinary. If you are a coffee enthusiast and you take your time to choose exotic blends from Peru and Costa Rica, then you are in the right place. Keep reading because you are in for a treat, finding about one of the best ways to make your coffee.
The DunneFrankowski duo behind a creative coffee consultancy, hold a really inspiring and thoughtful workshop at one of the fine coffee houses in London, The Gentlemen Baristas. This is when we’ve been introduced to Chemex, invented 70 years ago. Made from non-porous glass and fastened with a wood collar and tie, it brews coffee without imparting any flavors of its own. The hourglass shaped vessel is also heat resistant. The iconic Chemex has remained unchanged ever since, because it works perfectly every time: pure coffee, without bitterness or sediment. It is also perfect for iced coffee and coffee flavoring for gourmet recipes.
So, how do you brew your coffee? Like all things good, full flavor takes time. Pay attention to all the steps, I had so much fun while learning so many tricks.
1. Get into the grind
First, I definitely developed a nice set of biceps while grinding my way into the workshop. I’ve always depended on my coffee machine to do the hard job, but now I have a deep consideration for all the work! So, either manually or electric, select your favorite whole bean coffee you want to enjoy and grind it to medium coarse ground. As to how much coffee should you grind, the specialists say you need 28g of coffee for 500ml of water. You better use fresh coffee, otherwise your experience won’t be at its peak. Now, depending on the coarseness of the grind, the coffee will taste bitter if its on the small coarse. I am not sure why, it has something to do with porosity.. there is an entire science behind it, so let’s trust the experts. We’ve actually tried this experiment three times, with different ground sizes and the medium coarse tasted the purest, slightly bitter, without any sugar.
2. Filter up
Open a Chemex Bonded coffee filter into a cone shape so that one side of he cone has three layers, and place it into the of the Chemex brewer. The thick portion should cover the pouring spout. Dampen the filter with warm water to rinse and preheat the brewer. This will also remove the impurities in the paper. Once the water has drained through the filter completely, pour it out of the brewer while keeping the filter sealed against the coffemaker wall. Put the ground coffee into the filter cone.
3. The water makes all the difference
Did you know that 98% of your coffee is made up of water? This means you should pay careful attention to the quality of the water you are using. I am a Brita fan and using filtered water ensures that your coffee tastes the best it possibly can. Trust me, it is not marketing, you will have an “Eureka” moment the minute you filter your water for cooking and drinking. The Brita kettles allow simultaneous filtration and boiling reducing all the impurities and unwanted substances in water such as limescale, metals and chlorine.
4. Let it bloom
Once you have brought the appropriate amount of water to a boil, remove it from the heat and allow it to stop boiling. Pour a small amount of water over the coffee grounds to wet them, and wait for about 30 seconds for them to bloom, releasing the most desirable coffee elements from the grounds. Perfect brewing temperature is about 94 degrees Celsius.
5. Brew on
After the grounds bloom, slowly pour the brewing water over the grounds while keeping the water level well below the top of the Chemex. This was really tricky. The optimal time to finish this process is about 3 minutes and 40 seconds (science, right?), but after 3 tries, we got 4 min. 50 sec. the smallest interval. We have a long way to go, but it’s all in the experience. Slowly pour the remaining water over the grounds, using a circular motion to ensure an even soaking of the grounds. Toss the filter, discard and enjoy!
We have experimented with the Japanese Cold Drip, which takes 28g coffee with 150g ice cubes and 350 hot water. Such a refreshing and delicious coffee! You can mix it with sugar syrup, lemon, lime, or cucumber. The sky is the limit if you feel really adventurous. A great experience that has taught me drinking coffee shouldn’t be taken easily; it is a form of art, and when well appreciated, it will completely change your mornings.
Have you heard about Chemex? Would you like to see (and taste) what’s all the buzz about? 
